Yalta Conference's Influence On American-Soviet Relations

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During World War II, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were allies. However, by the end of the Second World War their relations greatly deteriorated due to two important factors. One of these factors is the Yalta Conference and greatly impacted American-Soviet relations in a negative way in the decade following the War. The second factor is the Korean War between South Korea and North Korea that placed the Soviet Union and the United States on opposite sides. On February 1945, the Yalta Conference took place which set divisions in Germany and began plans for a post-war world. The main figures of great authority that attended are British prime minister Winston Churchill, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Following …show more content…

Both major events led to the disagreements and distrust from both countries. In the Yalta Conference, the Soviets did not go through with the agreements they made. An example of this would be when they promised free elections in Poland in the near future. They did not act upon this agreement until 44 years later, in 1989, when it finally happened. Also, Stalin only agreed to what Roosevelt suggested because he knew that if he did, lands taken from the Soviet Union would be returned. The Korean War was another war both had to face and it caused an even greater shift between the Americans and Soviets. They supported opposing sides of an international conflict which led to excess strains in their relations. The UN and U.S supported South Korea while the Soviet Union supported North Korea. The Soviets and Chinese were also working together to reconstitute a new communist government in China. The relationship between the U.S. and China was not good since China decided to intervene in the war and MacArthur, the leader of the UN, wanted to directly attack them. Both the Soviets and Americans influenced many political problems emerging from what was left of World War II and their relations were already crumbling, the Yalta Conference and Korean War just added to

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